Hideaki Nishino, Senior Vice President, Platform Planning & Management has taken to the PlayStation Blog to reveal the next generation of controllers for PlayStation VR 2 and they are remarkably different to the PlayStation Move accessories. The large poles with glowing balls on the end have been replaced by sleek grips, rather like the controllers used for Oculus Rift, but with a futuristic PlayStation riff.
The controller is now ‘orb’ shaped so you hold the controllers in a natural way rather than having to point a stick at things. “We applied learnings from testing users with a range of hand sizes, as well as the decades of insights from controllers across all PlayStation platforms. The result is an iconic design that will change how VR games are played,” said Nishino.
Taking their cue from the PlayStation 5 DualSense controller the new VR controller includes adaptive triggers and haptic feedback, and will allow for finger tracking. Each controller also has a an analogue stick and the various PlayStation buttons – square, cross, L1 etc – are spread across each controller. Here’s more from Sony.
- Adaptive triggers: Each VR controller (Left and Right) includes an adaptive trigger button that adds palpable tension when pressed, similar to what’s found in the DualSense controller. If you’ve played a PS5 game, you’ll be familiar with the tension in the L2 or R2 buttons when you press them, such as when you’re drawing your bow to fire an arrow. When you take that kind of mechanic and apply it to VR, the experience is amplified to the next level.
- Haptic feedback: The new controller will have haptic feedback optimized for its form factor, making every sensation in the game world more impactful, textured and nuanced. When you’re traversing through rocky desert or trading blows in melee combat, you’ll feel the difference, magnifying the extraordinary visual and audio experience that’s so central to VR.
- Finger touch detection: The controller can detect your fingers without any pressing in the areas where you place your thumb, index, or middle fingers. This enables you to make more natural gestures with your hands during gameplay.
- Tracking: The VR controller is tracked by the new VR headset through a tracking ring across the bottom of the controller.
- Action buttons / analog sticks: The Left controller contains one analog stick, the triangle and square buttons, a “grip” button (L1), trigger button (L2) and Create button. The Right controller contains one analog stick, the cross and circle buttons, a “grip” button (R1),
“Prototypes of our new VR controller will be in the hands of the development community soon,” adds Nishino, “We can’t wait to see what ideas they come up with and how the controller helps bring their imagination to life!”
Source: PS Blog
Andrewww
The question will be whether they’ll just be options you can use instead of the approach they’d taken with too many games and demos already, forcing you to either buy the additional controllers or not being able to play their games. Sony never prioritised accessibility sufficiently high, so I’m more cautious than thrilled.
Stefan L
This time around, I would assume that these controllers are bundled with the headset, instead of the muddled array of options from original PSVR. The tracking method is fundamentally different, and these controllers can do everything the DualSense can, barring a D-pad and touchpad, meaning they can be a universal default input that the Move controller could not.
Andrewww
Oh, and of course I want to play Half-Life Alyx, and Alien:Isolation in VR, I expect Sony to make these finally happen. Otherwise, I won’t be on board.
TSBonyman
Interesting about the tracking, doesn’t sound like it’s inside/out cameras? Almost sounds like they could release a tracking upgrade for the PSVR1.. but unlikely.
Great to see what they’ve been working on and the joysticks alone will make a huge difference.
Stefan L
It’s definitely inside out tracking, per Sony’s description. They are “tracked by the new VR headset”, it’s just confusing when they mention the “bottom” of the controller and seemingly mean the ring that’s around your hand/wrist.
TSBonyman
Ah, i see, yes the description threw me off.
MrYd
Sticks are obviously a good thing. And the adaptive triggers, which are a stupidly good feature on the PS5.
Downside could be that they end up being heavy, with the triggers and powerful vibrations. Sony have been getting bigger and bigger with their controllers. DS4 was bigger but not that much heavier. The DualSense is getting silly.
Hopefully they’ll be an option and not bundled in with the headset. It’s going to get expensive otherwise.